Grateful

As Thanksgiving preparations are in full swing at my house, I am reminded in the midst of it all to be grateful. Thinking on this the last few days has made me well aware of blessings that I may easily overlook if I didn't search hard enough. It also made me contemplate the difference between being thankful and being grateful. I'm not sure what that difference is exactly, but I am trying harder to be more grateful for the abundance of things I've been given. At times this is hard for me since I can easily focus too much on the things I may not have been given. Sometimes,perhaps, prayers (seemingly) unanswered. Mostly, my deepest heart's desire, to become pregnant and bear another child. Unfortunately, I will not be spending Thanksgiving aware of a new little one inside me or feeling the light flutters in my belly. For now, it's not meant to be. And for today I understand that and I breathe deeply as I marvel at who God did bring me this year to help me along this journey of infertility. I am grateful for my husband and his understanding, love and support; for words of compassion and encouragement from family & friends who have supported us; for a lady at my childhood parish who has offered daily prayers for me; for the humble prayers of strangers who I've only met via prayer requests online; for those who have helped direct me medically toward answers and toward alternative treatments; for those kind, faith-filled few who have quietly listened and have offered silent prayers for us. I realize that there is so much more that I cannot even begin to list here, but this Thanksgiving I will be celebrating with a big, grateful heart, that's for sure!

Toy Clutter

It has become obvious to me lately that although we have a fairly good size house, we also have a fairly good amount of toy clutter in our house. My living room has two corners devoted to them, my dining room has a separate table with barns and houses on it, my one basement room (future playroom)already has its share of toys as well. Why it suddenly seemed to be staring me in the face I do not know. Perhaps it was while I was making a mental list of Christmas gifts we would get for the kids and I stared at the vast amount of floor space that they already cover. Or maybe it was when my ears started hearing the increasing amount of toy commercials gearing up for the Christmas buying season. It could have also been that when my children saw these commercials and declared "I wanna get that" that I shuddered. So, I now have a revised Christmas list in my head for each of them and it includes only 1 toy each and that toy is only an addition to a set they already have (Thomas & Polly Pocket). Beyond that it will be useful items like clothes, books, games or art/craft project kits. I am also hoping to purchase a kids digital camera for them to share since they both seem to enjoy taking pictures with mine already.The books, games and kits I feel are very educational and something I'd rather have filling my shelves. I'm actually looking forward to heading to the craft stores to find some great educational projects for the kids, rather than buying toys that will just take away my precious space. Although I really don't like the idea of giving away a bunch of their current toys since most have been gifts by kind and generous family, I do feel that a toy de-cluttering may be happening in our household very soon. Now I just need to find a worthy cause that will take them.